Ten Reasons To Love Lemons
lemon aide
The citrus limon, or as most of us call it, lemon, is a fruit primarily used for its juice although the pulp and rind are frequently used in culinary applications. Lemon juice is approximately 5% citric acid by volume. It is the citric acid which gives lemons their tart taste and a pH of 2.2.
Citrus fruits also produce an essential oil in glands inside the rind. This oil can be steam distilled and is composed mostly (90%+) of a hydrocarbon classified as a cyclic terpene known as d-limonene. It is a colorless liquid at room temperature and is the substance responsible for the strong citrus smell. You will find lemon oil and orange oil used more commonly in commercial cleaners, strippers and de-greasers as the distillation process requires specialized equipment. You can, however, purchase essential oils of lemon and orange from suppliers of aroma therapy products.
So what makes lemons so great? Lemon juice and lemon oil are an effective, environmentally friendly and relatively *safe solvent that:
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Will dissolve grease and oil.
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Dissolves adhesives.
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Dissolves limescale and hard water spots and tarnish.
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Will bleach stains on household surfaces and fabrics. It will also bleach your hair and skin.
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Strips wax and polishes.
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Will neutralize strong odors.
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Is an antiseptic and antibacterial effective against candid albicans, e. coli and gram-negative household germs that cause salmonellosis, herpes simplex (types 1 and 2), influenza types A, A/Brazil, A2/Japan, intestinal bacteria, lebsiella pneumoniae, odor-causing bacteria, mold, mildew, salmonella (choleraesuis, typhi, and typhosa), shigella sonnei, staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus (faecalis and pyogenes) and trichophyton mentagrophytes.
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Is antiviral and will kill the the viral agents of typhoid, gastrotenteritis, rabies, enteric fever, cholera, several forms of meningitis, whooping cough, gonorrhea and some types of dysentery. It is not effective against tetanus, anthrax, polio, rhinovirus, or hepatitis B or C.
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Will soften hard water and allow soaps and surfactants to be more effective.
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Can be used as a non-toxic insecticide for house plants or in the garden.
*Citric acid and limonene are skin and mucous membrane irritants. Contact with the eyes can cause a burning sensation. Prolonged exposure of the eyes to high concentrations could cause blindness, as anything with a low enough pH will.
I had some lemons that were too old to use for tea…they were starting to turn a little brown and hard. Here’s what I did with them:
Step 1 Roll the lemons on a hard flat surface to release the juice
Step 2 Slice them in half lengthwise
Step 3 Place in a shallow microwave safe dish with 1-2 inches water and microwave on high for 2 minutes
Step 4 Take the dish out and wipe down the inside of the microwave. For more stubborn spots re-microwave the dish for another 2-3 minutes
Step 4 After cleaning the microwave, take the lemon halves (careful-may be hot!) and use them to scrub your stainless steel sink with baking soda. Wipe clean.
Step 5 Place the used lemons covered in baking soda with ice down your garbage disposal for freshening and cleaning!
Three cleaning jobs in one! Woohoo!
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